Demons ready to take on another big offensive line

Early on in last week?s Homecoming game at Case Field, it looked as if Marion?s size advantage was going to be too much for a much smaller Washington squad.

After the Demons were forced to punt on their first possession, Marion?s offensive linemen ? who average 258 pounds ? plowed the way as the Indians bullied their way down the field on a 15-play, 97-yard scoring drive. Marion also scored on its third possession, taking a 13-0 lead early in the third quarter.

But then Washington?s defense buckled down and kept the Indians out of the end zone the rest of the game. In fact, the Demons limited Marion to just 67 yards and three first downs for the rest of the game.

?We just kind of finally realized that even though they were weight-wise bigger than us, we could go out and make some things happen,? Washington head coach Randy Schrader said. ?It really was just about running to the football and making things happen and working hard. Our kids just kind of got into the rhythm then and made a football game of it.?

And even though the Demons lost 13-10, they proved that they could stand up to a bigger team.

?We competed,? Schrader said. ?And that was important to me to go out and compete against a team that had a physical advantage, obviously, across the board.?

Washington?s opponent this week, Keokuk, has the same physical advantage. Keokuk?s offensive linemen average 248 pounds. Washington?s four starting defensive linemen don?t even average 200 pounds.

?They?re across the board big kids,? Schrader said of the Chiefs. ?They?re wrestlers. They?re tough kids. They?re thick kids with big, thick hips. They move well. And [Keokuk head coach Doug Dodds] does all the right things with them.?

Four of Keokuk?s five offensive linemen are returning starters from last year.

?They?re an experienced group,? Dodds said. ?Most of them played last year. They?re a good group of kids.?

The Chiefs? linemen are paving the way for an offense that is averaging just under 400 yards per game this season. Senior quarterback Gabe Vandenberg, the youngest brother of University of Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg, has completed 58 percent of his passes this season for 826 yards and eight touchdowns. Vandenberg?s main targets have been tight end Dan Williams, who has caught 22 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and big-play wideout Darrion Sanders, who has made 15 receptions for 326 yards and five scores.

Senior Trevor Roth has rushed for 553 yards and seven touchdowns this season, but suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of Keokuk?s 42-14 win over Fairfield last week and is not listed among the Chiefs? probable starters this week. If he is unable to play, that would leave fullback Matt Nye, who has run for 170 yards and three scores this year, as the team?s leading rusher.

?They?re a good balance of run and pass,? Schrader said. ?They?re a very veteran team. They?ve got the Vandenberg kid at quarterback and a really good running back. They?re a solid team, and there?s a reason they were picked to win our district. They?ve got guys who are two- and three-year starters, they?ve got good speed and good size, and they?re well coached.?

Slowing down Keokuk?s running game is a point of emphasis for Schrader and the Demons this season. The Chiefs totaled 496 yards of offense, 383 of which came on the ground, in last year?s 35-28 win over Washington in Keokuk. Roth ran for 253 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries in that contest.

?Their run game scares us,? Schrader said. ?They really gashed us last year for way too many yards. That cannot happen this year.?

Senior linebacker Spencer Woods, who has 46 tackles on the season, leads Washington?s defense. Junior linebacker Garrett Covington has added 41 tackles, including seven for a loss. Senior linebacker Mitchell Hora has 37 tackles this season, and senior free safety Justin Hoffman has 36 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

?I think Washington is a really athletic group,? Dodds said. ?They really fly around on defense and do some nice things.?

Schrader said one of the keys to limiting Keokuk?s offense would be for Washington?s offense to sustain drives.

?We need to control the football,? he said.

That could be a little tougher this week. Senior fullback Kyle Roder, the team?s leading rusher with 199 yards and three touchdowns this season, will be out for 2-4 weeks after bruising his kidney and cracking some ribs in last week?s game.

Junior Alex Coker, who has rushed for 93 yards this season, will move to fullback. Junior tailback Tanner Knupp, who has run for 138 yards and a touchdown this season, may be the Demons? feature back in Roder?s absence.

It also may put even more pressure on sophomore Daryn Sebelius. So far, Sebelius has played well in his first season as the Demons? starting quarterback, completing 66 percent of his passes for 409 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception.

Schrader said the Demons must play well on offense and then do their best on defense against Keokuk?s offense.

?We?ve got to move the ball, and then we?ve got to just bend but not break on defense because they?re going to move the ball,? he said. ?We just can?t allow them to come away with scores. We?ve said time and time again that we?re not a team that?s going to come back from down three touchdowns. We just aren?t built that way. We just have to keep the game close and try to get first downs. If we can do that, we?ll be all right.?

Schrader also said that his team must convert when it has chances to score. The Demons had the ball inside Marion?s 15-yard line three times in the second half of last week?s game, but came away with just three points.

?That can?t happen,? Schrader said. ?If it does, we?re going to be on the short end of the stick again. If we convert and score some points, we?re going to have a chance.?